You Can't Live on Yesterday's Revival

It was on tomorrow, July 8th 283 years ago

July 8 1741 it was the 37 year old 37 is not old right 37 year old man

Who traveled this was a Saturday? So he traveled from his church in Northampton and went to Enfield Connecticut and He preached a sermon from Deuteronomy 3235 this sermon has

Come to be Important in our nation's history the sermon is some of you already know sinners in the hands of an angry

God one of the things that Deuteronomy 32 35 says is vengeance is mind and God used this sermon in a mighty way one story goes that Edwards wasn't even supposed to preach that day, but he got there and they're like hey, can you preach?

Jonathan Edwards he he preaches and he had preached his sermon at his church Sometime back in the spring and it didn't have the same effect

But when he preached his sermon in Enfield, Connecticut on July 8 1741 people were shrieking from the congregation and He was telling them of the wrath of God that is to come and he was telling them that It's only by God's good pleasure that those who are unconverted don't slip off into hell right now

That's hard preaching preaching that we're probably not used to in America today But it was preaching that God blessed and it was preaching

That I Think Deuteronomy 32 35 actually so I'm getting to a point here actually

Fits well in line with the book of the Bible that we are going through which is the book of Nahum I hope you would turn there.

I should have told you earlier. It's not like Ephesians. You just flip to it real quick You've kind of got to find it the book of Nahum that short book in the minor prophets

The sermon title today is simply this and I hope it'll make more sense as we go through if it doesn't already make sense to the sermon title is

You cannot live on yesterday's revival

You cannot live on yesterday's Revival and we began in chapter 1 verse 1 and that's where we'll find ourselves again today

As we give more of an introductory message to this book, would you stand with me as we honor the reading of God's Word an

Oracle that word can be translated burden the Christian standard Bible translates it pronouncement an oracle concerning Nineveh the book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh father we pray that you'd bless this sermon.

Give me the grace I need we pray that we would remember that when the Word of God is rightly preached in its proper context

We're hearing the very voice of God as it were not the not not not the preacher's voice is not

God That's not what we're saying But we hear from you as we hear the word preached

And I pray God that we would listen Break our hearts Lord in this nation 238 years ago or 83 years ago.

Sorry father you Sent revival mix say in the first Great Awakening Even that fruit of that was the birth of our nation

How far we've gone? But Lord, we still believe there's hope if there was no hope for our nation there wouldn't be any preachers

But there are preachers in the pulpits today all across this land preaching Christ Would you grant us repentance?

Would you grant us your favor Lord may this not be about Politics or whatever the case may be

May it be about the glory of Christ May we return to Christ?

May we love his word Speak to us now. Let us be ready even now to humbly receive what you have

Thank you for all you've done in the Lord Jesus and we pray in his name Amen, maybe seated.

So we still have a little bit of introductory work. It's kind of setting up the context here of this book to Nineveh Remember This is a book that Nahum writes under the inspiration of the

Holy Spirit After God grants him a vision so it's kind of like the book of Revelation in that regard because John is given a vision and here

Nahum's given a vision and We need to do a bit of historical work.

Now, please stay with me because I understand that some of you are like history, but we're going to do some

Bible history and It's going to help set up because I think when we rightly understand the historical context of this letter

That it'll help us understand the Bible's application to us today. So You need to remember to keep in mind that this book is a literal writing of a literal man named

Nahum written about a literal city called Nineveh and It's not a book to America or whatever.

That's not what we're saying But what we are saying is that this book that I'm preaching from and by the way, not just Nahum but the whole

Bible Remains ever relevant to every nation that it's preached in and that this book that we're preaching from the whole book

But particularly Nahum right now as we're going through this Has some pertinent application to our nation

We never want to find ourselves in the place of Nineveh We never want to find ourselves in Opposition to the

Lord Because what this book ultimately teaches us is that it's not a good thing to be in opposition to the

Lord Look what happens to a nation opposed to the Lord. Turn to Nahum chapter 3 verse 5

Behold I am against you declares Yahweh Sabaoth the Lord of hosts and I will lift up your skirts

Over your face and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame

Oh God could never do this to a nation Well tell that to the Syrians when this book was written at the height of their power

That could never happen to us. We could never be embarrassed by God. The nation's would never look at our shame

We're the conqueror of nations But guess what? God made good on his promise and God has the final say

Against his enemies. Now we mentioned last week that this book What is

Sort of like a part two of Jonah Jonah when it was written was sometime around 750

BC So Jonah's written around 750 and and and by the way, I'm not insulting your intelligence

But children that so if you're an adult and you need this just pretend I'm saying it for the children The children you need to remember this which is going to give some dates and stuff today when we say

BC What do we mean? We mean before Christ? So what we're doing when we talk about numbers

BC 750. We're talking about it's not Entirely accurate, but it's close 750 years before Christ and so when we talk about BC numbers the numbers go

Smaller, so the smaller BC numbers are are More recent right the bigger.

I hope that makes sense Let me just say this if I say 750 BC that was longer ago than 650

BC Hopefully that makes sense some of you you didn't need that some of you needed it and so hopefully that helps so the book of Jonah 750

BC in that book God grants mercy to Nineveh thousands of people

Repent and believe on Christ the coming Messiah now

What happens to this city after that? there is a

Assyrian ruler so Nineveh is in present -day Iraq Thank Assyria when you read first second

Kings first st Chronicles you read these rulers one of these rulers. You should know it should be familiar to you, but his name is

Sennacherib Sennacherib comes to power in 705

BC so that's 45 years in the future from what happened in Nineveh 750

So it's 705 here comes Sennacherib He takes power and what he does is he moves the capital of Assyria to Nineveh So before this time

Nineveh is a big city Nineveh is a great city in the eyes of the world and prominence, but now it comes even more prominent and by the way

This is after this is extra history This is after God had already brought judgment upon the northern tribe

So northern Israel at this time has already been judged by God and Assyria has conquered them and that's why by the time you get to the

New Testament, they're this called the Samaritans and they're they're they're not seen as good because Because they compromise and they wound up intermarrying with their

Syrians and all anyway, that's already happened by this time. So Sennacherib 705 ish moves

Nineveh to be the capital of Assyria Now I think it do as well as we're thinking through this to remind you what happens to Sennacherib Sennacherib if you remember is the king that scoffed at Yahweh.

He mocks Hezekiah. Hezekiah seeks the Lord. Hezekiah prays and God grants

Great victory. In fact, let's just read it real quick. Second King is helpful helpful for you to know your

Bible history So keep your spot in a home and go to second Kings. I Promise you all this has a point today second

Kings chapter 19 second Kings Chapter 19.

So this is this Syrian King Sennacherib. Here's what happens to Sennacherib chapter 19 verse 35 and that night the angel of the

Lord went out and struck down 185 ,000 in the camp of the Assyrians and when people arose early in the morning behold these were all dead bodies then

Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh and As he was worshiping in the house of Nisroth his

God Adramelech and Sherazare his son struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat and Esarhaddon his son reigned

In his place So that's around 681

BC God destroys Sennacherib I'm trying to help you see that this spiritual flame.

I do believe that Nineveh had a real spiritual flame I believe the Bible teaches us that there was a point that they sought

Nineveh sought the God of the Bible But I'm trying to help you see it's it's quite brief

It's barely even a blip in the history of Nineveh now by this time So now we have the book of Nahum and there are a couple of clues for us when the book of Nahum is written

So one is in Nahum chapter 3 verses 8 through 10. This is the most important probably says this

Nahum chapter 3 verse 8 so follow along with me in your Bibles Are you better than Thebes or maybe it says are you better than no or maybe it says are you better than no

Amman? It's all the same city. Are you better than Thebes? That set by the

Nile with water around her her rampart a sea and water her wall

Kush was her strength Egypt too and that without limit put and the

Libyans were her helpers yet She became an exile She went into captivity her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of every street for her honored men

Lots were cast and all her great men were bound in chains now you understand You don't have to know everything about that to understand first that's written in the past tense

Okay, so the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal sacked

Thebes in 663 BC so that gives you a clue. This is spoken of in the past So that's a number that sticks out to us 663

BC this happens and Nahum is writing After this event, so he's saying you remember essentially he's saying you remember

Thebes You think that the Thebes thought that they couldn't be destroyed and what happened you destroyed them

So just like the point is just like Thebes is destroyed. Nineveh is going to be destroyed, but for our sermon today

Thebes is destroyed in 663 BC now. I told you last Time that Nineveh is destroyed in 612

BC. So what does this give us again? Some of you are like, I don't care about the history, but just it gives you context this book of Nahum is written between 663 after Thebes is destroyed and 612 when

Nineveh is destroyed. So that gives you a 50 year gap. Maybe when it could be written

I Maintain though it's closer to the 663 day because in Nahum chapter 1 verse 12

Listen to the first part of verse 12 thus says the Lord Though they are at full strength and many

They will be cut down and pass away He's talking about Nineveh there Nineveh sometime around 640 maybe a little after they begin somewhat of a decline, but while they're under Asher Benapel and Right after the conquest of Thebes and all that they are at full strength so I believe that this is written closer to the 663 mark than the 612 and What this teaches us is exactly what

God does in the Bible And that is he asked his people to continue to trust his word

So sometimes you have to not believe what your senses tell you, right?

So you see a Syria a series that a strong series a strong nation you she's the the oppressor if you will

It's always gonna be like this, isn't it? I cannot imagine a time in my life when a

Syria is not the top dog and God says in his word You may see that you may hear that but don't believe that God will prevail

Even when the enemy appears to be at its strongest There was a woman on Facebook who was mocking pastor

Jacob long story, but she mocked pastor Jacob because the abortion the abortion petition passed or or at least potentially passed in our state and So she was mocking

Jacob basically like what do you think about this? You know, well, let me just say this it may seem that evil will prevail

But don't you believe that? It will not now if this is written

So again, don't give in don't give up the message look to Yahweh. So is this written when a series is strong?

Then I'm giving it a date of about 650. I think that that's close If Nahum writes so here's some more history

I know you're excited if Nahum writes around 650 that puts him in the time period of King Manasseh of Judah Right, so the northern kingdoms gone

But you still have the southern kingdom and you have King Manasseh of Judah Now what you remember about Manasseh is that in the most of his reign?

He was an evil king God humbled him In fact God brought that Assyrian king that we've been talking about Ashurbanipal to capture

Manasseh The Bible says drug him off with hooks off to Babylon which the

Assyrians had conquered Babylon as well Let me just pause and say this we have this idea in our mind that history just gets worse and worse and worse and worse

But I would actually argue that things are better today than in some ways than they were then right like King Ashurbanipal and King Manasseh They were wicked kings and the idolatry and the wicked things that they led their people in those were bad things but anyway, what happens to Manasseh is this he repents and How does

God this is going to be important for later. How does God respond to repenters?

Well, I'll just read you 2nd Chronicles 33 13 2nd Chronicles 33 13

God was moved by his entreaty and Heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom

So at the end of Manasseh's life Manasseh's restored there is a brief what you might call revival in Judah and all of this is transpiring at the exact time that Nahum or I say exact time pretty close to when

Nate Nahum is writing this oracle against the Assyrians in their capital city Nineveh.

So Manasseh's restored There's a brief sort of revival. You might call it and Nahum is probably in this time is when he's writing this book

All right. So what are we making about is what is what we have to do? Is this just a bunch of horror or historical facts or is is there a point?

Well, there is a point a very important point and I believe that in the providence of God We're at the very important time of year to talk about this point because we just on Thursday Celebrated our nation's independence and I believe that we're at the right point in our nation's cultural and political and moral crisis to make an important application of Nahum to our day today

But before we do, okay I want to give you just three evidences of Nineveh's forsaken repentance

So in 750 BC they repent now I want to give you three evidences three biblical evidences of their forsaken repentance and you need to hear this

And guard your own heart. So first is their increase in wickedness

So first we know that the city forsook its repentance because their wickedness

Increased now, I'm gonna just tell you what I'm about to read is pg -13 at minimum

Maybe rated are but Nahum chapter 3 verse 4 says this and all for the countless whorings of the prostitute

Grace graceful and of deadly charms who betrays nations with her whorings and peoples

With their charms what's being alluded to there is both physical and spiritual adultery and at one time

Nineveh if you think about this one time Nineveh clothed herself in ashes and sackcloth now

Spiritually and speaking and maybe even physically and certainly in some parts She's clothing herselves in the garments of a prostitute so not to not to long after the repentance was wrought in Nineveh her

Prosperity corrupts her Paganism and all its vile practices run amok within her walls prostitution idolatry magic bodily mutilation

Child sacrifice look at chapter 3 verse 1 woe to the bloody city. Why is the city bloody?

Because of their wickedness full of lies and plunder no end to the prey in Romans 3

Paul describes for us what the life of an unbeliever looks like and he says that their feet are swift to shed blood.

I Really find it interesting today That there'll be people in our nation today who would actually feel morally superior to cultures

Like that of the Assyrians. Did you know this? Did you know that in Assyria?

If a woman had an abortion She was liable to be killed on a stake

That's I find that fascinating why do I find that fascinating because in this wicked land of Assyria a woman could face capital punishment for taking human life inside the womb

I Find that an indictment upon our nation We're twenty six hundred years removed from the fall of Assyria and yet in our nation

Not just in our nation. Not just in LA not New York We're not talking about those crazy left coast right the left coast and the liberals on the east coast

We're not talking we're talking about in the Bible Belt in the Bible Belt in Arkansas in our beloved home state 100

Thousand people took their hand put it to a pin sign their name the unborn children should be able to be murdered in our state as a constitutional right

I Find that abhorrent in that regard

It sure doesn't seem like we're morally superior to Nineveh And Then think about bodily mutilation you understand in our nation

There are those fighting for children to have rights to mutilate their bodies fighting for men and women to have the right to mutilate their

Body, if they don't like certain parts in their body, they can Cut those off and have other parts

I understand that's graphic but certain times call for certain types of preaching and this is the type of Nation that we live in today and I would argue in some ways that we're worse than Nineveh when it comes to the cultural

Embracing of men saying that they're women or women saying that they are men. Are we not a nation of idol?

worshipers whether it's self Autonomy or whether it's sports or whether it's

YouTube consumption or just you know Brain rot or whatever the case may be But the point in all of this is that for now

Nineveh their repentance in 750 BC was long -forgotten By this point and by the way,

I say long -forgotten, but let me just put this in context a hundred years is not that long

It's really not that long In fact, you know people personally they probably passed on now, but you know people personally who lived a hundred years ago

Some of you who are older than me You met people personally in your life who

Were born in the 1800s I'm just telling you a hundred years is not that long in history and yet in 100 years the city had gone from where Jesus says the men of Nineveh will rise up in this generation because Someone greater than Jonah is here.

They had gone from that point in 750 to the time 650 gets here and it's ranked pagan paganism again

They increased in wickedness secondly So we're talking about what are three ways that the city of Nineveh forsook their repentance first their wickedness increased secondly gospel preaching

D Point just a little bit.

I think I can prove it chapter 1 verse 1 Nahum an oracle concerning Nineveh the book of the vision of Nahum of Elkash Let's just let's just for the sake of fun and biblical clarity.

We're just right here Let's think about how Nate the book of Nahum starts I know already read it last time but let's think about how this starts versus how the book of Jonah starts

So let me just go to Jonah real quick. I'm flipping over So if you go to your left, you got to get through Micah, but then you get through Micah and Jonah's right there

So Jonah chapter 1 so just listen to how Jonah starts. I'll read it and then I'll read Nahum Again, so Jonah chapter 1 verse 1 now the word of the

Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying arise Go to Nineveh that great city and call out against it for the evil has come up before me

God sent a preacher to Nineveh and Jonah God sent a preacher to Nineveh now

Nahum chapter 1 verse 1 an oracle concerning Nineveh the book of the vision of Nahum of Elkash What's the different here?

the difference is God isn't sending a preacher now Rather he's signing as it were a death sentence

Okay, whenever you see someone preaching the gospel Whenever you see someone preaching the

Word of God There is always a well -meant offer of God's pardon to the repentant

Anytime the Word of God is preached You say well, what about when judgments preach? That's the whole point of Jonah Do you remember this is why

Jonah doesn't want to go to Nineveh the whole reason? Jonah doesn't want to go to Nineveh.

He tells God and Jonah doesn't want to go to Nineveh And Jonah for to Oh Lord is not this what I said when

I was in my own Imagine me and bad about God about this is not this what I said when I was yet in my country

That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster the whole reason

Jonah doesn't want to go to Nineveh telling them of God's judgment is because he knows that every time

God's Word is preached even if it's judgment that there is an opportunity for God to be gracious and That's why

Jonah doesn't want to go God uses the preaching of his word to bring sinners to repentance but now in 650

BC God is not sending Nahum to preach I told you the

CSB says a pronouncement an oracle concerning Nineveh It says a pronouncement concerning Nineveh.

That is God is signing their death warrant When there is a famine of the preaching of God's Word upon a land

Woe be to that nation Look at Nahum chapter 3 verse 12

Nahum chapter 3 verse 18, forgive me. I was like, well, that's not the right verse

Your shepherds. This is the same word that God uses Like in Jeremiah when he rebukes the shepherds

So he says the shepherds of Nahum are sorry the shepherds of Nineveh your shepherds are asleep

Oh king of Assyria your nobles slumber The point that I just want to make here is that the people

I'm not saying that these were gospel preachers That's the point though. They weren't the point here is that the people who were

Responsible for the leadership of the nation were no help now

I can't imagine it's really hard for me to think about is there any kind of parallel? I just can't make a connection.

Could you imagine the capital city of a nation just try to let's

Pretend can you imagine the capital city of a nation and the people who are responsible for leadership of the nation?

They're all there in the city and they're just a bunch of fools. I don't know

Maybe one day we could come up with an apt analogy the point is

They proclaim in Christ for sure They were like the politicians of our day with so many ideas about what this nation needs

But so little Jesus feeding themselves off the backs of their constituents all the while Neglecting the very thing that our country needs most namely the gospel

Where there is an absence of gospel preachers, you can be sure that this is a portent of God's judgment so It's not preachers

Preaching judgment that our nation should be worried about it's when they all shut up That's the problem our culture today

Even parts of so -called conservative Evangelicalism today They really get mad about street preaching

Now I'll say this and I've seen it Street preaching can be done wrong and There are people that shouldn't be street preaching and there are those that need to quit preaching until they can repent

But I will say this Listen to me carefully here. Don't misunderstand a preacher with improper motivations, but who is preaching the truth is

Better than no preacher at all. And I think that Jonah holds it up. I think

Paul and Philippians holds it up He says whether in pretense or in truth Christ is proclaimed and in that I rejoice

So churches should support pray for and encourage Gospel preaching they should encourage support and pray for gospel preaching outside the church.

They should encourage pray for and Support gospel preaching inside the church

Every time we gather in this place, we should have an expectation that we're going to hear the gospel multiple times in song in Sometimes in catechism sometimes in confession reading there's explicit gospel

But for sure in the preaching We must hear the gospel of Christ That we have broken

God's law That we have deserved his judgment But that Jesus Christ the

Son of God has come as our substitute That he has fulfilled the law on our behalf that he became a curse for us on the cross that he died and that he rose again to justify many and that all who repent of their sins and Believe the gospel will be spared

God's wrath and will be pardoned of all sins It will be brought into a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ into the great family of God The church needs built up and encouraged in this message your right standing today with God is not based upon Who you are or what you've done or what your parents done or what this country has done.

It's all Jesus It's all the sovereign grace of God in what Jesus has done for you

And then the lost and dying world they need to be reminded of this too They need to be warned of the judgment of God.

I'm so tired. I understand some of its good motivation Used to I was a lot more willing to say it's just It's just poor motivation

Or sorry, it's good motivation but poor application, but today I'm wondering if there's not nefarious motivation in this and That is so many people do not want to preach the judgment of God They do not want to preach repentance

They do not want to look at our nation in in the eyes and say listen to me if you keep supporting if you keep flying the

LGBTQ flags if you keep Supporting the murder of unborn children.

God will bring this nation to its knees Now you can watch the debate a couple of weeks ago and you could see we already see evidences of God's judgment

So the point is we can't be afraid to preach the judgment of God.

He's angry with lawbreakers But we also preach The hope that God has for any sinner that is found in Jesus Christ We preach the gospel because we believe that God actually saves the liars and the thieves and the homosexuals and the sexually immoral and the drunkards and the hypocrites

God Saves them. He saves him by the grace of Christ None of us in here are standing in here because we're beating death in and of ourselves

We're standing in here only by the grace of God and we preach this grace to our nation

Judgment is coming. You keep standing with your fist against God. He's gonna knock you to your knees, but if you'll repent

There's mercy And so the church I'm saying we must encourage gospel preaching

I'm one just gonna tell you God loves Perryville How can

I say that you don't know that you don't have a verse that says God loves

Perryville true But I do know this Wherever the gospel is preached.

It's a sign of the favor and blessing of God and we preach the gospel in this town

And so I believe that God has a plan for us and if and if that plan is for us to just keep preaching the gospel till we die and no one repents and God at The Day of Judgment the people of Perryville are even more judged because they heard the gospel.

They made fun of us They rejected it. They went their own way. They loved their idols. So be it. God will receive the glory

But I believe that God is going to save here I've hold out hope for revival even here in this out -of -the -way place in Arkansas this out -of -the -way place in the

United States this out -of -the -way place that 99 % of the world doesn't even know exists God can do a work here and he's blesses places with the preaching of the gospel

So it's sad today that so many churches seem to Be disinterested in preaching

Christ Both inside and outside the church The preaching of Christ is a sign of God's favor

Think about that the next time you hear people minimize preaching Christ When you hear people say we need shorter sermons or we need no sermons or you know what we need to do for evangelism

We just need to say we're going to hand you a hot dog and a bottle of water in the name of Jesus And that's enough and then after we do that for a few years if we can and they don't feel weird about it

Then we'll talk to him about the gospel. Now. We got to talk to him in their vernacular We can't talk about sin and repentance.

We got to talk about mistakes and brokenness That's the evangelism strategy today of too many places and I'm saying no

We know Nineveh had forsaken its past repentance because of the increase of wickedness and the decrease of preaching

We should encourage pastors and qualified men to preach Christ outside these walls as well

Okay, thirdly, I'll mention this just briefly the warnings of God went unheeded

So, how do we know that they had forsaken their repentance? Well, their wickedness increased preaching decreased and then the warnings of God went unheeded

So I'll just mention a couple of examples I've already kind of talked about it, but God punished

Manasseh and He had Asher Benapel capture Manasseh now

Asher Benapel saw God I have no idea if I'm saying that right. I'm sure I'm not but Asher Benapel saw

God restore Manasseh To the throne of Judah after his repentance and yet what did

Asher Benapel do he did nothing He kept leading the people in pagan wickedness, or we could go back to Asher Benapel's grandfather

Sennacherib remember Sennacherib Sennacherib taunted God and God destroyed him.

Can you imagine losing your whole army in a single night the angel of the Lord killed? 185 ,000 of his men in one night.

What is Sennacherib do he did not repent He goes back to Nineveh. He worships his false.

God his own children kill him Nineveh does not repent the warnings of God went unheeded.

I think to myself sometimes if God were going to get our nation's attention What would he do and I think to myself

I can't imagine him doing anything else than the things that he's already been doing right to have inept leadership

To have so -called natural disasters Which we know or fall under the providence of God to have an increase of immorality to have an increase of wickedness

To have this foolish thought that a thought that I'll say here One more thought is this foolish thought that there's neutrality in the world today

So I understand and I would like to talk to this more. It's hard to just preach about this So if you question this

I'd love to sit down and chat with you more and you just hear my heart on it but there's people that are like even well -meaning

Christians In Oklahoma, they're gonna start putting and I think Louisiana. They're gonna start putting the

Ten Commandments in school Well people like no. No, you can't do that. The school has to be neutral ground.

No. No, the school cannot be neutral ground You understand? There is no neutrality

Either the LGBTQ flag will hang in classrooms or the Ten Commandments But it won't be both

Because there is no neutrality you say well, yeah, well there's separation of church and state do you understand evolutions of religion?

Right, but it's being taught in schools as though well, yeah, but we're being neutral. No, there there there is no neutrality

Do you understand that? It's either Yahweh or it's paganism and Nineveh found out it's gonna be paganism

And they chose their bed and they lied in it and God took them out Now in God's mercy, we still have an opportunity

Yahweh or paganism, but don't pretend in your mind that there's an in -between road There's not we don't live in a post -christian society.

We live in a pre -christian society We live in a pagan society. We haven't just evolved into this society.

That's like so beyond Christianity No, we're cutting ourselves We're murdering our children explain to me the difference between us and the

Aztecs when Columbus finds them We just got iPhones and they didn't There is no neutrality now this brings us to 650

BC in the writing of this book so An oracle concerning Nineveh the book of the vision of Nahum of Elkash wickedness increased

Preaching decreased the warnings of God were neglected and now Nineveh's death warrant has been signed

Faithful Jews in 650 BC could have sang of Assyria their rage We can't endure for lo

Their doom is sure Because God was going to annihilate them and God always prevails over his enemies

Now we come to the application of this sermon that I would like to make. I Understand I have thrown a lot of information at you this morning but as we process all of this in our brains as We consider these things in our heart as we think about the history of this place in this book and what

God did and how Nineveh was destroyed does this not serve today as a timely word of warning

What happens to nations? That are swift to shed blood what happens to nations that murder?

Children what happens to nations that exploit and parade? sexual

Immorality what happens to nations that worship and serve false gods what happens to nations?

That give themselves over to idolatry Nahum chapter 2 verse 13

Behold I'm against you declares the Lord of hosts and I will burn your chariots and smoke and the sword shall devour your young Lions, I will cut off your prey from the earth the voice of your messengers

Shall no longer Be heard Oh, but you say how could

God be against them had they not just barely a hundred years ago Repented and followed

Yahweh had he not just a hundred years ago Just a century before had he not shown them his favor and my answer is you can't live in yesterday's revival

No, but look at our nation. Look at our nation. Our nation was founded upon Christian principles agree and We have done so much good as a nation in our history

Agree, and we have produced so many good churches and so many good preachers and theologians

I agree. We have sent missionaries around the world. We've planted churches We've been a help to the kingdom of Christ as it were.

I agree Amen, I agree about all of those things about our nation But there's another answer that we can give as well an apt and sobering answer to all of those

Accolades and that answer is so what? What am

I saying? I'm saying this we cannot parade the achievements of our past in front of a holy

God while our present remains in disobedience to his word we cannot ask

God to remember yesterday and forget today after the revival in Nineveh in 750 things went very well for the

Assyrian nation. They grew in power They grew in prosperity but these things moved them from God and caused them to trust in self and the gods of this world has

Prosperity lulled you to sleep until you found yourself in bed with idols

My heart is okay. My children are okay. My finances are okay. Everything seems to be going

Okay, sure. There's problems in our nation, but my life is okay This must mean that God is unconcerned with how

I spend my time God doesn't care how I neglect his word and I and the evidence of that is

I'm okay My blood pressure is okay, but God doesn't care about my level of involvement with this church

I must be okay, or you might even say this Hey, I go to Providence Baptist Church, and I know that here we prize theology.

We have good theology So God is okay with me giving my heart to something other

We must let the book of Nahum serve as a warning to us Yesterday's Faithfulness means nothing if today is lived in outright rejection of God's commands

Not every you must hear me We preach and believe in the powerful salvation of God and all those who are saved make it to the end

But hear me this morning. Not everyone who professes the name of Christ makes it to the end

Not everyone who says to the Lord Lord Lord enters the kingdom of heaven you walked an aisle you prayed a prayer

You were baptized you became a member of a church. You're a member of Providence Baptist Church, but secretly you're rebelling against God Then you are in grave danger and this book should warn us

Of course, there's a solution to all of this The solution is to look to the one who remains the same yesterday and today and forever

To look to Christ our Lord Jesus No day of our life have we given in full obedience to God and yet every day of his life on earth was given in Complete conformity to God's commands in heart mind soul strength and will

Perfection Christ is our resting place because Jesus is faithfulness

Never wavered it will never waver even on the cross as his passive obedience

Partakes upon himself our sins as God judges Jesus as our substitute he remains

Faithful, he is the conquering tribe lion from the tribe of Judah He died condemned in my place, but rose again victorious

And it is by his grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone that you can be counted righteous

That you can be forgiven of all sins and made a partaker of the kingdom of God But I want to make this sermon in the application

Very very simple. I want to make sure If this is the last sermon

I ever preach if the Lord takes me out of this world

Before I can even come to the park tonight and preach I Want to make this as simple as I can do.

I want to make sure that from Josiah to Piper Osborne to Jack to Haddon all the way up to miss

Pat linker and everyone in between can understand Very simply every person in here

The application All of this talk about Nineveh brings simply one word to the forefront of our minds

The very thing that Nineveh did in 750 BC but failed to do until they were finally destroyed in 612

BC The very word that is the only means for survival for our nation today

The word that is commanded unto all men and little boys and little girls and women and everyone everywhere

That word is repentance If you're going to take a trip to Europe from Arkansas Doesn't matter which way you go doesn't matter the mode of transportation

Doesn't matter if you want to swim if you want to take a boat if you want to take a plane if you want to Take a rocket ship

There is no way that you can get from Arkansas to Europe without Crossing an ocean and I know

I'll have some goofball back. Yeah. Well, what about from Alaska? You still got across the Bering Strait?

That's still part of an ocean You can't get to Europe without crossing an ocean

So listen to me church Similarly But vastly more important There is no way for an individual or a nation to come into the favor of a holy and righteous

God apart from grace wrought repentance Now I am for good laws in our land.

I plan tomorrow to go to a meeting about That is about the abortion stuff and into work and to see our strategy coming forward.

It looks like that there's going to be a Something in our voting in November Whereby it'll be on the ballot where whether Arkansans want to enshrine abortion our

Constitution. I plan to fight this I'm I'm for Fighting that I'm for good voting.

I think we should be involved in these things I think it's important if I may I'll actually say this much lawlessness and complacency in Our culture today is from our laziness about this

But you need to hear very clearly this morning that the voting booth the congressional floor the

Supreme Court room Even the Oval Office These will not be listen to me church.

These will not be the means for revival in our nation Christians again, you cannot be lazy about this

Some of you need to repent about being lazy or unconcerned or uninvolved with these things because these things do matter these things absolutely,

I believe are important we should have moral and just laws as Defined by God's Word as the vision of our founding fathers in 1776 and beyond we should have moral and just laws in accordance with God's Word We should want moral and just people in leadership in our nation according to God's Word We should be laboring towards these things

But these things church are not the ocean that one nation must cross

The ocean that our nation must cross is the ocean of repentance from all known sin repentance for lack of Conformity to the revealed will of God turning repentance means to turn.

It's not just I'm sorry. I feel bad I drank out. I drank alcohol at a party.

I got drunk and I feel bad about it. That's not repentance You should feel bad about it

Repentance is turning from that turning turning from the

Lack of conformity to the revealed will of God turning from the things that God has said not to do

But we've done them anyway turning from the things that God has said to do but we failed or refused to do them turning from vain idols turning from immoral behavior the filthiness that comes out of our mouths or the things that we think turning from complicity to the sins of our nation turning from Apathy towards God just an absolute apathy.

You say you're a believer, but you live as though God doesn't exist It's practical atheism turning from the complacency or toward the glorious gospel of God's sovereign grace turning from wasting time on our phone

Turning from half -hearted commitments to what God has told us to do making disciples of the nation's turning from the misuse of money

Turning from the misuse of time turning from complaining attitudes turning from bickering in our marriages turning from disgruntled hearts turning from covetousness

Turning from cowardice. We're real good at just accepting

Unrighteousness in our land and being afraid to speak up now. We'll speak up in conservative circles.

We'll speak up in in Groups on Facebook, we'll speak up that but we won't go out into the streets and say thus saith the

Lord You need to repent turning from cowardice. We must not be okay with with our culture says we have to accept

Turning from pride. I love our church

But you can't look at our church and say well at least we're doing it right no, it's pride

Humbling ourselves before the mighty hand of our Holy God and remember this great truth

God hears repenters The city of Nineveh should remind you at least four things.

I'll just list these off. God will listen to those who repent You should not put off repentance to tomorrow

Gospel repentance is not a one -time thing but a lifestyle and then the fourth thing

I thought of this morning as I was going over this again It only takes one generation to forget

God in a nation It only takes one so what

I'm saying is as we come to this book together as We seek to listen to all God has for us in this book

May we begin by asking God this morning to search our hearts and may we not

Pridefully hold on to any sin, but repent and may we preach repentance

To our neighbors and to our nation does not Christ. This is who Christ receives

Is he not full of grace for the humble? Is it not even his own sovereign grace that produces the very repentance?

He requires and humility within us is not Christ worthy of a repentant church

Then then let us heed our text today and this book of Nahum Yes We call upon our whole nation to repent the people of Perry County to repent and beyond that all of America to repent

But let's start by showing them what that looks like. Let's lead the way

Believer ask the Lord today to search your heart and confess your sins

To the one that the Bible says it's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness

Because of what Christ has done Believer if there is sin in your life

Turn away from it and go again to Christ quit loving self quit loving sin quit loving

Laziness and pride quit it some of you this morning. You need help

You may need to talk to your pastors That's okay. I don't want to tell brother quatro and brother

Jacob I'm struggling with this sin because they'll think less of me No, we want to talk to you because we want you to be free from it maybe you need to talk to the ladies in the church if you're a lady or the some of the men in the church if You're a man and you need a caliber accountability and Encouragement and you need help to stay in this battle and to turn from and to kill sin in your life

It's okay to need help. It's okay We need it.

That's why God's given us to church. Don't fight it yourself Go to your brothers and sisters that God has given you but I'm telling you church

God has given you the opportunity today to let go of those sins to not be cold toward our glorious God this day to to let sin go and cling to Christ and not try to live in yesterday's revival

Oh, yeah. Oh to you. Oh you should preacher two years ago. I was reading my Bible every day

Five years ago. I was really involved. You can't live there a new day of sins

Calls for a new day of repentance But I'm telling you there's hope for you

There's hope Now if you continue on in this way and at the end of time you show yourself unconverted

Well, there is no hope but if you'll stop and you'll turn to Christ who is merciful and gracious And I don't care what that sin may be you may think it's no big deal.

Oh, he's not talking to me He's really talking about those big things. He's only talking to the people who are caught in pornography if you're caught in pornography

Absolutely. I am talking to you repent that will destroy you But you say well,

I'm not struggling with that. I'm just struggling being grumpy at work I'm talking to you to repent and Go to Christ and heed what the scriptures say and to the unbeliever believer.

I say this Nay, whom is it should be very sobering to you God stands opposed to you

Opposed to you. You've heard a person say God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life Well, how about I say this if you're an unbeliever

God stands opposed to your plan for your life He stands opposed to your dreams

He stands opposed to all these things that you are building for without faith.

It is impossible to please God He stands opposed to you But think about that this morning that the

Lord despite his opposition to you is so good to have you hearing his

Gracious call once again to stop your striving to turn away from your rebellion and to go to Christ To turn away from all known sin in your life and to turn yourself to the king of kings and the

Lord of lords who Died live died rose again for sinners and this day offers you full pardon

Not just a peace treaty like fine you go your way. I'll go mine and we won't be at odds anymore

No, no, no, no. No, he offers you Right into his family.

He offers you Justification being declared righteous in the eyes of God. He offers you his body his church.

He offers you Freedom in him. Why would you not repent?

To all who believe upon him he grants eternal Christ God will save you

But you must repent the way for the hundred -year -old person into the kingdom is the same way for The little child to enter the kingdom you must be born again and that always results in true

Repentance He will adopt you into his family If you're here this morning, you're a hypocrite.

You're maybe you're a church member But you know even today in your heart of hearts you're not a

Christian Or maybe you're not a church member and you know in your heart of hearts, you need to join us and and be baptized

I'm just saying won't you trust what this Bible says? Like every sermon comes down to that doesn't it?

Will you believe what the book says? Will you turn from your sin and Look to Christ Will you repent and believe the gospel

Friends we cannot live in yesterday's revival July 8th 1741 the people were shrieking

God brought revival to Enfield, Connecticut. There was a prayer meeting the whole night before this revival

It was whole towns were turned upside down Caverns were closing all the shops were closing on the

Lord's Day Righteousness was in the land. I wish I could see it

But that was 1741 This is 2024

We can't live there, but who knows

Whether or not our sovereign God Has called us to such a time as this

I have great hope But we must repent

Father I thank you for this day. I Please help us not to hold on to our sin

Laziness idolatry complacency Covetousness lying

Some may be holding on to stronger sins this morning perhaps sexual morality hatred in their heart towards a brother or sister or another person

I I Cannot possibly identify every sin in this room, but I can point us to Christ and I pray